Assam floods: schools in Majuli closed indefinitely :

All educational institutions in the Majuli island of upper Assam have been closed indefinitely from Monday in view of rising flood waters which have submerged over 70 per cent landmass of the island.

The Jorhat district administration ordered the closure this afternoon, senior officials said.

A nine-member team of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) has been airlifted to the island to help rescue stranded people in the southern parts of Majuli.

The office of the sub-divisional officer of Majuli was also shifted this afternoon to a nearby tall structure belonging to the district public relations department.

With flood waters continuing to rise since last five days, over 70 per cent of the area in the island has been affected. Majuli has a landmass of around 890 sq km.

Flood waters have inundated 180 villages and submerged 80,000 hectare of cultivated lands.

Around 1.80 lakh families have been affected. The district administration distributed rice and lentils among the affected people today.

Meanwhile, principal opposition party in Assam, the All India United Democratic Front, today asked the government to take immediate steps to safeguard the island, which is known as the historical and cultural capital of the state.

AIUDF chairman and Lok Sabha MP Badruddin Ajmal said in a statement in Guwahati that flood and erosion should be included as national problem.

“Despite repeated assurances to declare the problem of flood and erosion as a national problem, no steps have been taken in this regard,” he said.

(News from The Hindu e-paper)

-Abakash Majuli